Born to the Spice Mines
by An author without a name
Summary: Glitterstim: A potent variety of the drug family 'spice'; with the ability to give the user a brief telepathic boost and heightened mental state. Very valuable, highly addictive and mined by slaves. Eventual Poe Dameron/OC
1. Chapter 1

"Solok, Shipment 5; Karn, Shipment 14, Yates, Shipment 7; Mabrin, Shipment 9."

A large holo-screen, spanning an entire wall flashed up the Smugglers names, with their elected Shipment numbered beside it. A Besalisk announced the numbers to the crowded hall in his deep, booming voice; which easily rose above the loud chatter.

Keedra was eyeing the Smugglers as they prepared to collect their goods, their cocky persona both amused and infuriated her. They looked down at people such as her, believing their role in the spice business was far superior. It was true that the Smugglers possessed freedom and got paid for their services, but Keedra believed that the strength, both mental and physical, of the slaves far surpassed that of the arrogant spice couriers.

Her train of thought was abruptly broken when the Wookie standing before her turned and disappeared through the exit. She stepped towards the desk, her faithful R3 astromech droid following slowly behind. The female Pyke behind the desk released a series of strange clicking noises, it seemed like an unnatural noise but was the common speech for the Pyke. Keedra stood before the magenta eyed Pyke who rose her head to stare the young slave down.

"Mine code?" the question was in Basic and the Pyke's dull tone was bored yet commanding.

"K-48."

"Spice barrel number?"

"14 barrels of Glitterstim."

"You understand that due to Glitterstim being photoactive it cannot be exposed to light at any stage before consumption?"

"Of course." It was for this reason that the miners of the Kessel Spice mines were forced to labour in the pitch-black below the planets surface.

"Are the containers packaged?"

Keedra looked at the Pyke accusingly, if she had confirmed her knowledge of Glitterstim being photoactive then why would the spice not be packaged in sealed receptecles?

"Of course. We are well versed in the art of Glitterstim preparation." She said through gritted teeth.

It was the same questions everytime she delivered a shipment, she was not a novice; she had grown up on this blasted planet. She had always been a slave of the Spice mines of Kessel and yet they decided to question her knowledge everytime.

The Pyke seemed unphased by her annoyance.

"Identification number?"

The young slaves hand reached up and smoothed the skin at the back of her neck. Tattooed at her hairline was a series of numbers. It almost always went unseen, her brown hair successfully covering it, even with her hair up the small numbers were barely noticeable and for that she was thankful.

"847492."

"Section of the K-48 mining region?"

"Rubindii. Droid repairs and Spice Transportation."

"Landing Strip?"

"Landing strip 5, Bay 9."

"Yours is shipment 18, you will receive assistance when unloading." And with a wave of her green tinted hand the conversation was ended.

* * *

Upon entering the landing bay she was approached by a group of Wookies, four strong. They made their way to her ship and began the tiring process of unloading the large spice barrels. The barrels were heavy and difficult to carry across the slightly uneven ground of the docking bay. After piling the barrels into three separate land speeders they made their way to the Smugglers landing bay, where they would begin loading their ships.

The trip was short and as Keedra clambered off the speeder she rubbed the side of her torso in pain, glaring hatefully at the slavers who had repeatedly shocked her whilst they were unloading. Her hand ached to grab her serraknife that was resting at her hip, but knowing the consequences of such an action prevented her from carrying it out.

She never quite understood why the slavers allowed them to carry the ancient weapon, granted it came in handy during everyday work, but they seemed to have such a fear that their slaves would revolt against them and yet they provide them with a weapon. Their masters weapons far surpassed theirs in power, but considering previous incidents that had occurred; resulting in injured and livid slave masters, she was surprised they were still allowed to posses the long bladed weapon. In fact the residents of the Rubindii region had become quite proficient in wielding the weapon, and knife-throwing competitions had become a favourite pastime, although they had found that shorter blades made this sport far easier.

"Shipment 18?" The question had come from a green skinned Arcona male, by the name of Dazon. His posture and confident tone informed the party of five slaves that he was a Smuggler and soon he, like the masses of other Smugglers surrounding them, would be taking on the Kessel Run with their spice aboard his retched freighter. With a large sum of money awaiting him at his destination Keedra assumed that he the right to be arrogant, but not one to tolerate Smugglers behaviour she ignored him completely and instead began hauling the barrels aboard his ship, the Wookies in tow.

* * *

Barren spices mines litter the North of the planet, hidden among the mazes of canyons. The unearthly screams and shrieks that escape their dark clutches were not uncommon and instead seemed to be the planets quotidian sound. The wasteland that Keedra called home was predominantly made up of steep, craggy canyon cliffs and large rock pillars. Mines went deep into the ground, their entrances were vast, gaping holes in the arid landscape. Originally the mines were home only to the Energy Spiders but overtime the development of the Spice Trade had lead them to also be the home of many hundreds of miners. The slave population of the planet was mainly Human and Wookie but there were plenty other species mixed in with them.

Surrounding the mines entrances were communities, all of whom assisted in the Spice extraction. The Rubindii region of the K-48 mine was home to Keedra who, like the other inhabitants, took part in Droid repairs and Spice transportation.

Almost the entirety of the North of Kessel was made up of mining communities, but several space ports and towns could also be found between the canyon walls. The largest of the ports was Mas Nespa a city rife with Smugglers, Slavers, Bounty Hunters and Criminals. Keedra found the city to be of little bother, she did not fear the folk that inhabited and visited the city, and was more than capable of handling herself in a brawl. It was here that she spent much time after loading the ships with spice. After years of practice she had become an excellent bargainer, her primary purchases were Droid and ship parts since the scrap yards that piled up behind Rubindii did not always provide the necessary parts.

The heat was almost unbearable and to those visiting the planet the vast temperature changes were a strange phenomenon. The days were filled with an intense heat from the burning sun and the nights were frigid. Keedra's clothing accommodated the heat being a tunic that reached her upper thighs, the sleeves were cut off at the shoulders; the fabric had been roughly ripped away. Trousers tucked into her black leather boots, they were worn and scuffed. The clothing of the slaves of Kessel was generally made up of whatever materials they could purchase, steal or find; the colours varying shades of beige and grey. A single metal band was wrapped around her right bicep, it was a common sight on all Kessel slaves; not only did it mean they could easily be identified by passers-by, the band held a tracking device allowing the Pyke Syndicate to keep tabs on their slaves.

After scanning through the dense market place and tearing apart several sections of fallen ships, Keedra made her way through the city beneath the cloth that was spread across the streets from building to building. She met up with other Rubindii residents and they all clambered into their respective ships. The canyons were difficult and dangerous to navigate, the pilots of the ships had to be skilled and after years of evasive manoeuvres and near death experiences they had all become accomplished star pilots.

As a convoy they weaved their waythrough the maze of canyons, the K-48 mine soon coming into sight.

The landing bay at the mine was constantly patrolled, preventing any slaves from escaping. After being given the once over the pilots were finally allowed to enter the mining region. They all made a beeline for the mess hall, quietly excepting the small portions of food they had been offered. Keedra made her way to a table occupied by only two others; a male Wookie and a human female. Sitting beside the Wookie she tore into the bread and swallowed it greedily; the meat was, as always, chewy with a strange after taste; it was a pitiful meal.

"Find anything useful today Keedra?" Jana asked.

"I got a computer probe and a scomp link. Not sure how well they will work though. I am going to have to climb the scrap mountain tomorrow, we still need an infrared receptor. Although I highly doubt I'll find one."

Jana nodded her head and stared at the table; deep in thought. Jana was a native of the planet Caluula, she was taken from her home at around twenty years old and had been on Kessel for the past thirty odd years. It was Jana that had brought Keedra up, her parents passing away soon after her birth. For nineteen years the woman had cared for her, she was without a doubt Keedra's mother figure. The old Wookie, who they shared the table with; Ciiranta, also played a part in Keedra's upbringing. It had been he that had taught her to pilot and to defend herself; she had adapted the skills he had taught her so as to be better utilize her petite frame and flexibility. The trio protected and looked out for one another. They found themselves, most days, holed up in the droid and ship repair centre, with Keedra often leaving to transport the collected spice to Mas Nespa.

They weaved their way through the 'organised chaos' that was their workshop and lowered themselves into hammocks that were slung haphazardly from the walls. The screeching of the Energy Spiders lulling them into an uneasy sleep, it was at moments like these that Keedra was happy with her position in the Kessel Spice Business. The slaves that tear the spice from the webs of spiders spend months down in the mines, sleeping in the crevices of the rock walls and working long hours without a hint of light. Often when the miners are lowered into the abyss it is the last time they ever see daylight, very few rise from the mines alive. Both the treacherous conditions and the Energy Spiders end the lives of the poor souls. The notorious Spice mines of Kessel claimed many lives and Keedra swore that she would get off this hellish planet eventually.


	2. Chapter 2

All the text written in **bold** means that the characters are speaking in Caluulan, Jana's native language.

Keedra is pronounced Ki-drah or Ky-drah. It means one who is alert and aware.

Jana is pronounced Yana. It means the Moon or the Gift from God.

Ciiranta is pronounced Kir-anta. Ciir means ancient and wise. Anta means leader.

* * *

It was not an easy task, climbing the huge scrap pile, as she uneasily scaled the 'mountain' scrap parts rained down on those climbing below. It was made even harder by the lack of natural light, not that she was unused to it, rising early was part of the daily routine. A thick, grey jumper encased her torso, protecting her from the freezing temperatures and a breath mask adorned her face. Strangely with a lack of heat came a lack of sufficient levels of oxygen. The leather satchel slung across her shoulder was becoming heavier by the minute, being filled with scrap parts that commonly littered the Rubindii region. She glanced over at Ciiranta hoping that he was having more luck than she. The Wookie was inspecting what appeared to be an artesiatic dampener, the dull head torch giving off little light. His growl of satisfaction was muffled slightly beneath his breath mask as he dropped the component into his satchel.

Keedra climbed higher, attempting to reach the point where the scrap pile met the canyon wall, from there she could watch the sun rise over the barren landscape. From her position the entire K-48 mine was visible, the buildings sprawling out across the large canyon clearing. However, it was not the sunrise that caught her attention, despite how spectacular it was, instead it was the small convey of star-ships that appeared along the horizon. Their destination was currently unclear to her, it was highly likely that they would pass over the mine and head towards Mas Nespa, although it was uncommon for smugglers or travellers to take this route. Ciiranta's growling drew her out of her musings, the cluster of slaves that were scattered across the scrap 'mountain' had began to retreat down.

With her satchel slung across her shoulder she to began to descend, her descent should have been very easy considering her familiarity with terrain, but it was at this moment that her usually sure-footing upon the metal suddenly gave way. Keedra began to slide down on her stomach, sharp metal piercing her skin as she fell. Her hands fought to find purchase on something that could hold her weight and soon she was lying flush against the debris her right hand grasping the remains of a support leg. Her descent had been quite spectacular, an embarrassing but equally efficiently quick way of reaching the foothills of the pile. She dropped the last metre to solid ground, brushing off her clothing and walking away, attempting to retain at least a shred of dignity despite the laughter that followed her.

* * *

Kicking open the door to the workshop Keedra was greeted by four non-natives meandering through the messy workspace, Jana staring at them intently from her position near a table stacked with blueprints; her greying hair was twisted into a bun, several strands had fallen in front of her hazel eyes.

R3-Q5 bumped into the back of his masters leg and let of a stream of beeps.

"I know R3, I am well aware that we have visitors." She rose her voice above the workshops background noise, catching the attention of their aforementioned visitors. She made brief eye-contact with them before ripping her breath mask from her face and pealing the jumper from her aching torso. Usually pale skin possessed traces of red; blood from newly acquired cuts created tracks down her toned stomach. Jana, upon seeing her adopted daughters wounds, carefully cleaned the gashes and deftly began stitching the broken skin back together.

 **"What did you do** , **Kei?"** Keedra recounted her accident, an event which Jana found exceptionally funny.

 **"You pride yourself on being so competent, yet even with the most basic tasks you are still capable of hurting yourself."**

Pulling Keedra's tunic back down Jana turned to their guests, who had returned to examining their surroundings. Keedra heaved herself off the workbench, muttering under her breath. **"I electrocuted myself once whilst fixing a power convertor and you still will not let it go."**

"I do not believe we have had the privilege of meeting before. What is your purpose here." The strong Caluulan accent that had stayed with Jana marred her pronunciation as she switched to Galactic Standard.

"We are representatives from the southern cities of Kessel.' Began a young man, due to an air of authority that surrounded him Keedra judged that he was the leader, he appeared to be a couple of years older than her 19 years, with tanned skin, dark hair and dark eyes.

"We visit on behalf of the Kessel Royal Family, who are interested in the current conditions of the Kessel Spice Mines."

"The Royal Family never seemed concerned about we slaves before and I don't understand why they would be now. They don't even hold any authority in the North.' Keedra had heard stories of the green South, it was supposedly filled with trees and rivers, a sight that was longed for by the slaves.

"This is a mere routine check."

"Checks have never occurred before, only the Pyke Syndicate seem at all interested in what happens here." Keedra weighed in.

"We..uh..have never found it necessary to. We drop into the other mines on occasions, but there are many others that we have never visited."

"So why is it necessary now? I am not aware that anything has changed." She turned her head to Jana for clarification that nothing important had occurred that she may have somehow overlooked.

The question was avoided ."I believe this is the Rubindii section, am I correct? Do you think you could possibly point us in the direction of Loysota?" He was direct and demanding, yet you could detect the sympathy in his voice. Upon closer inspection one could see the slight stubble across his strong jaw, his partially windswept hair and an adventurous glint in his eye. All qualities that Keedra was unfamiliar with when she had encountered several representatives in Mas Nespa. Usually they were clean shaven, their hair slicked back with such a vast amount of gel that even when a sandstorm hit not a single strand could move, they also possessed a wearisome persona.

"The Spice packaging section of K-48. I'll take you." Jana ever the kind and considerate woman. She ushered the party of four out the door just as Ciiranta arrived lugging his bag behind him. He growled at the unfamiliar faces, receiving a light smack on the arm from Jana. Keedra's observations of the man were cut short as he was escorted out into the now blazing heat.

"Wait. You never told me your name." The young slave shouted after the assumed impersonator.

"Poe. Poe Dameron."

"And why is someone like you posing as a Royal Kessel Repesentative, Mr Dameron?" She muttered under her breath.


	3. Chapter 3

All the text written in **bold** means that the characters are speaking in Caluulan, Jana's native language.

Keedra is pronounced Ki-drah or Ky-drah.

Jana is pronounced Yana.

Ciiranta is pronounced Kir-anta.

Amia is pronounced a-MEE-uh.

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but my own characters.

 **"Do not be foolish child, if the Slave Masters heard you talking like this they would be most aggravated."**

 **"Jana do you not believe me? I am telling you, that man, he is not a representative. I don't know why he is here and I am unsure of his intentions, but I need you to know not to trust him."** Keedra's voice held desperation; she had spent the better half of the morning telling Jana and Ciiranta about her suspicions and their refusal to except her doubts had installed nervousness into her.

 **"Let it go, Keedra, there is nothing we can do. You have wasted half the day; you were supposed to fix a B1 in the mines."** Ciiranta growled his agreement before focusing on fixing his M-TD translator droid.

Sighing in defeat Keedra strode out of the door into the blazing heat of Kessel. It was unfortunate for her that she slammed straight into the very man that was causing her current issue. As any mature being in this situation does, she ignored him. Blissfully unaware of her current hate towards him, the 'representative' followed her.

"Where are you off in such a hurry? Didn't wish to stay in the shade of your workshop?"

"Unfortunately, I can't do what I want or stay where I want. My life is dictated for me. I'm a slave, remember." She bit back bitterly, but she did not miss the hint of sympathy cross over his face as she looked at him from her peripheral vision.

"Then, what does the rest of your day entail for you?" He spoke slowly, softly like he was talking to a Fengla, afraid she would snap at him before scurrying away.

"I will be going down into the mines to fix a worker droid." She gestured to the tool kit strapped to her waist. Her arm was roughly grabbed and she was spun around to meet the concerned eyes of Poe Dameron.

"You're going down into the mines?"

Her eyes were accusing "Yes, I am. I am more than capable of looking after myself Dameron. And luckily I am not one of the poor souls that has to stay down there." The young slave wrenched her arm from his grip and proceeded to stalk towards the mine.

"I was not insinuating that you can't handle yourself." He caught up with her, eyeing the long dagger at her hip.

"I will then go to Loysota to pick up the Spice Barrels," she said, ignoring his comment, "and then I will deliver them to Mas Nespa."

A noise of concern left Dameron's lips before he could stop it, Keedra span on her heel to look at him. "What?"

"As you are probably aware, I visited Loysota yesterday." He was stumbling slightly over his words, "I didn't quite realise that the warehouse was supposed as dark as it was and so…" he paused "I turned on a light."

Keedra stood open mouthed and unblinking. "You… you ruined an entire taking of glitterstim? How? How did you not know that it is photoactive?"

"I'm sorry, I forgot that the entire process is supposed to be carried out in the dark."

"You're sorry? Do you have any idea what that will cost them?"

"The Pyke Syndicate are rich enough, I'm sure that they will not miss one taking of spice."

"I'm not talking about the Pyke, I talking about the slaves of Loysota. Your stupidity has cost them, in fact it will probably cost the entirety of the mine." There was no anger in her voice only despair. She glanced over at the large warehouses of Loysota, they sat beneath a huge outcrop of one of the canyon walls, it was the one place in their mining town that was constantly bathed in darkness.

* * *

Keedra wasn't wrong, after having geared up for the freezing temperatures that the mines themselves held, as well as the lack of oxygen, she had made her way to Loysota. Fellow spice transporters were stood outside the warehouses unable to enter the dark depths of the huge buildings.

It was only at dinner when people from all the regions of the K-48 mine gathered inside the huge Mess hall that she realised the true extent of the Pyke Syndicates anger at the loss of one taking of spice. Keedra sat with Jana, Ciiranta and other Rubindii residents, their plates were empty; yet their stomachs were still growling. Keedra felt ridiculed, Jana had told her stories of her childhood when her parents had sent her to bed without any dinner, but she hadn't expected the Slavers to allow them to forgo anything to eat.

When the Loysota inhabitants finally entered the Mess hall, they moved slowly their eyes blinking rapidly behind their thick rimmed glasses as they attempted to adjust to the blinding light. Keedra stood quickly and crossed the room to sit next to another young female slave. Her white blonde hair fell in tangles to her elbows, pulled back into a ponytail by a thin strip of material, her light hair contrasted greatly to her black orbs, all Loysota residents possessed black eyes. Strangely due to long periods of time in the dark they had all evolved fantastic night vision, although their vision in the light had greatly suffered as a result. It seemed that with their night vision came their eerie black irises.

Keedra turned her attention to the ghostly looking girl beside her, who was shaking uncontrollably. "Amia? Are you okay?"

"Kei?" Amia gasped out her name and turned to bury her head into Keedra's shoulder, who wrapped her arms tightly around her friend.

"Amia, what did they do to you?"

"One is so used to the dark, yet when one is subjected to coping with it alone, one goes quite mad." Keedra was used to Amia's odd speech pattern, it was an idiosyncrasy that was possessed by all of her dark-eyed kin.

"They put you all in isolation?" Amia's nodded her head. "For how long?"

"One does not know. Time is not something one can judge whilst surrounded by gloom."

"They aren't feeding us Amia. Do you think you will be alright until the morning?"

"When one is constantly possessed by shadow, one can survive even the greatest of torment." Keedra smiled gently at her friend, although anger was bubbling beneath the surface.

* * *

"Keedra, how did the repair in the mines go?" Poe Dameron fell into step beside her.

"It was an easy fix." She stared down the corridor, walking briskly towards the exit of the Mess hall, her jaw clenched painfully tight.

"Look, I am so sorry about what happened, I heard what they did to the Loysota people and that they have withheld food from you." He was interrupted by the loud growling of Ciiranta's stomach. The large Wookie, who was walking ahead of them, howled distressingly. "Is there anything I can do? You must know that this was not my intention when I arrived here."

Without warning Dameron was slammed against the metal of the wall. Jana, frail old Jana, held her blade at his neck.

"This was your doing? Never in all my time here has anyone had to suffer such distress as isolation creates. If this was not your intention then what is, despite your obvious confidence it has not escaped our attention that you are not who you say you are." Jana was livid, her dark grey hair had fallen out of its bun which resulted in her appearing far wilder than the manic look in her hazel eyes already created.

Keedra's grey eyes widen in surprise, her head slowly turned to look up at Ciiranta who was gazing down at her a similar look in his wizened eyes.

 **"Jana, calm yourself."** It was as if the two women's personalities had briefly been switched. Keedra was usually too hot-headed for her own good resulting in both uncomfortable and dangerous situations, Jana seemed to be one of the few people who had the ability to calm the young woman before the situation escalated. Yet here she was attempting to calm the very woman who had taught her that self-control and quiet negotiation was far better than physical confrontation and shouting.

Ciiranta pinned the woman's arms to her side and ungracefully carried her from the Mess hall, releasing the young man from the confines of her anger. Following a string of Caluulan insults Keedra too fled to the workshop.

* * *

When darkness had fallen over Kessel four figures slunk from the Mess Hall and, keeping to the shadows, made their way slowly over to the Laysota warehouses. Large bundles of food were held tightly in their arms. R3 beeped wildly as he watched them through the grimy window, Keedra placed a tanned hand on the droids, clear, domed head.

"Definitely not a representative, Mr Dameron." She smiled slightly as she watched them open the large metal doors of the warehouses, no doubt they were providing the troubled populace of Loysota with food rations.

* * *

I apologise if Poe seems ooc, I am trying to keep him in character.


End file.
